David Vance Shoemaker

David Vance Shoemaker, 85, of Anderson, passed away on October 16, 2022, at Primrose Memory Care in Anderson after a long, difficult battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.  He fought a strong fight, as would be expected from him, but in the end, Alzheimer’s took him from his family.  He is now at peace and no longer suffering, for which we are grateful, however the pain of losing the man we loved will be felt by many friends, relatives, and generations of his family.

Dad was born on October 6, 1937, in Daleville to the late John and Jane (Walker) Shoemaker.  He was a  management employee at Indiana Bell of Anderson and after 35 years of service, he retired in 1991 to transition to full time traveling, enjoying life and, proving what his first grade teacher wrote in his report card was true, “Davey would much rather play than work.”  He ran the Anderson Central Office repair team as well as that of Muncie, Yorktown, and most of the little town Central Offices throughout Indiana.  He could be seen running around the counties in his white Indiana Bell Nova with a yellow flashing light on top.  While we never wanted to be picked up at school in the “company car” we have to admit that we felt pretty cool using the “mobile phone” in his car in the 1970s.

Dad was known for a variety of attributes, some great and some less than great.  He was charming, scrappy, smart, ornery, all of those things and more while being extremely charming, with a great sense of humor and wittiness.  In 1962, he fell in love with a country girl from Markleville, Nancy Schmitz, and he swept her off her feet, never really sure she knew exactly what she had gotten herself into with Dave.  They had a family, first their daughter, Julie and then their son, Brent.  Dave and Nancy created a great life together for many years and enjoyed being together as a family.

Dave continued to develop his passion for anything that went fast… scooters, a Cushman, motorcycles, cars such as his 1968 Camaro, and boats.  His passion from a young age was boating and in his adulthood he enjoyed Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, and shared that experience with his family and friends over the years.  He would spend hours riding his Harley Davidson throughout Indiana and Kentucky until he was in his early 80s.  He also enjoyed woodworking in his neat and tidy garage for hours, sailing on the tall ship, The Niagara, and having breakfast and conversation with his dear friend, the late Don Hoagland, with whom he worked at Indiana Bell and they became lifelong friends.

Dave enjoyed most the time he was with his family.  Spending time with his children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild, especially at birthdays and holidays, but also at just normal times of being together on the boat or walking in the woods picking blackberries in Kentucky or going to Gene’s Root Beer Stand for lunch, where he would wrap us all in napkins so we would not get the interior of his car dirty.  He also enjoyed visiting his mother in Florida as well as his grandparents, who had a great positive impact on his life.  We have many special memories of our times together and value the effort he made to always be our dad, grandad, and great-grandad.  Dad was always there for us, again in some great times and some less than great times.  He provided strong advice for his kids, especially regarding relationships, where we would typically do the opposite of what he had recommended.

Dave will be missed by his former wife, Nancy Shoemaker of Anderson, his children, Julie (Tod Higbee) Imel of Manning, South Carolina, Brent (Sharon) Shoemaker of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, his grandchildren, Britney Wells, Brook (Sarah) Shoemaker, Emma Shoemaker, Paige Shoemaker, Steven Bower and Line Bower; and great-grandchild, Harper Wells; as well as, his niece, Jamie (Shoemaker) Seelye, of Indianapolis and sister-in-law, Joyce Shoemaker, of Daleville.  In addition to his parents, Dave was preceded in death by his brother, Jim Shoemaker and nephew, Jeff Shoemaker.

The family would like to thank the staff at both Primrose Memory Care and Care Hospice for all of their love, attention and caring for Dave as well as his family, at a time when we all needed to be cared for.  Also, we would like to thank Barbara Fowler who cared for dad until his last day with kindness and laughter, as well as with love and support for all of us.

There will be a private family Memorial Service at a later date.  Memorial contributions may be made in Dave’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association (act.alz.org)

Arrangements are entrusted to Brown-Butz-Diedring Funeral Service & Crematory.

You may post online condolences at www.brownbutzdiedring.com.

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